Sunday, 17 January 2010

Weekend Work-Out

Okay, so I may need to come up with a new title if I get any brainwaves, but for now weekends shall be known on this blog as work-out weekends. That is, weekends where I shall work things out. Work out where my writing is going, what needs fixing, changing, what I want to do in the future.

Today, I shall share with you what I worked out the other day: I want to write a prequel to Family Portrait/Snap Shot/Camera Shy. I know, it may seem as though I'm a little obsessed with this set of characters, but I really want to write about the main adult (Ella) in FP as a teenager. A lot happened to her as a kid, including an unplanned pregnancy and then adoption of that baby, and so I think it'll be really interesting to run with that story. It may seem as an easy option, as the characters are already set out, but I've decided I'm just gonna write it an see how it turns out =]I really want to get to know the character of Ella more before I write Camera Shy, and this seems like the perfect way.

I also need to find time to edit Oh, Brother, which I shall be doing soon hopefully - once my exams are finished. That one will be a stand alone book - I'm not totally obsessed with sequels and prequels!

I found you on Absolute Write Water Cooler. Unfortunately, I haven't a clue how to contact any of the beta readers on the site, so I clicked on your link here and posting a comment seems to be the only way I can get a hold of you. Sorry about that!

I have a YA sci-fi romance (with adventure and a bit of murder mystery, as well) with both male and female POVs (the two main characters). It's complete, except for fixing any issues beta readers might bring up. So far, there have been no story line issues come up, only a few minor things.

I'd love it if you could critique it. So far, people like the writing, voices and story line, as well as the action, mystery, and romance. If you have time to read through it, I'd greatly appreciate it. It's for teens and young adults, but only one teen has read it (luckily, she really liked it). I need more teen critiques, though, before I send it out to agents.

You said you do line-by-line crits. My grammar and syntax is pretty good (my wife edits papers and taught me well), so there shouldn't be much work for you in that department. However, if you're good at picking out passive phrases and shallow POV, that could be helpful, because I know I haven't caught all of them yet.

Feedback on story line, voices, etc, is my real goal here. Also, I'm curious to see what a teen girl would suggest for the female heroine's voice. So far, people like her voice, but I still think maybe there is room for improvement to set her apart even more. If you want to make direct suggestions in the word.doc file as to what you'd have her say or narrate in certain instances, that'd be awesome.

In regard to your Work-Out Weekend post, here's my advice. There's a book called Heroes and Heroines. It's great for helping you figure out which archetype(s) your character fits into. Or it can help you shape a character and what her likes and dislikes may be, and how she will interact with other personality types. If you want to learn more about your character, try that book and see if you can pin down her personality.

Also, another method is to sit either at your computer or with a pen and paper in a chair and then imagine you're sitting with your character, talking to her. Ask her questions, almost like a friend or maybe an interview. Ask her what she really wants in life, then see what she tells you. I know...sounds a little creepy, right? Like, do the characters really talk to you in your head? If so, you should seek help. :) Anyway, you'd be surprised how much you can find out about your characters that way. Changes how you perceive them and write them. Can change their story line significantly too.